Disabled Students’ Allowance
Debate between Baroness Brinton and Baroness Williams of Trafford
Baroness Williams of Trafford
In terms of recourse if things go wrong, there are two directions in which a student can turn. The first is the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. The second is the exceptional case process, the format of which is under consideration and will be announced shortly.
Baroness Brinton (LD)
My Lords, I follow on from the previous question. How will universities be held accountable to make sure that they are providing the appropriate support under the revised arrangements? Will there be a national benchmark to check that a minimum standard is being provided for students with certain conditions?
Baroness Williams of Trafford
My Lords, the universities—certainly those on the higher fee band—will have to put in place access agreements, which will be monitored by OFFA. As I say, there will also be the appeals process and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator to ensure that these reforms roll out smoothly.
Domestic Violence
Debate between Baroness Brinton and Baroness Williams of Trafford
Baroness Williams of Trafford
My Lords, the noble Baroness raises an important point about the change in culture that is needed to deal with women who are terribly vulnerable and who seek an empathetic response from the police. I know that the Home Secretary is chairing a national oversight group to respond to some of HMIC’s findings from earlier last year. That group will report on its findings in December. The culture in which a woman can feel confident in going to the police and in having her concerns dealt with in an empathetic and sympathetic way is certainly important.
Baroness Brinton (LD)
My Lords, I understand that under “Clare’s law” third parties may also inquire about a suspected assailant on behalf of a family member whom they are concerned about. How many such third parties asked the police for information during the pilots? Are there more data since the scheme went nationwide earlier this year?
Baroness Williams of Trafford
I do not have information on third parties, but I can give my noble friend the headline figures. There were 386 applications and 111 disclosures were made. I can write to my noble friend on third parties.
Children: Alcohol Harm
Debate between Baroness Brinton and Baroness Williams of Trafford
Baroness Williams of Trafford
My Lords, I shall try to answer all those questions. On admissions to A&E, I do not disagree with the noble Lord, but we are working with health practitioners to ensure that there is a model and a guidance procedure not just for treatment but for follow-up care for children who present. I do not agree with the noble Lord that we have bowed to the industry. I was just reflecting on that point about liquor in chocolates: I recall that when I was a child, the one sweet that would never be eaten were the chocolate liqueurs because they were so revolting. Should a child decide to eat them, however, they would have to eat vast quantities of chocolates in order to have the equivalent of one glass of wine. As for the ice cream and sorbet, about which the noble Lord was concerned, they are subject to the same rules as alcohol itself and cannot be sold to children under the age of 18.
Baroness Brinton (LD)
My Lords, the damage to the foetus from maternal drinking, especially in the first three months, can take the form of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which includes heart defects, learning difficulties, kidney defects and other impairments. Will the Minister encourage the Home Office to consider a publicity campaign as hard-hitting as the “Don’t drink and drive” campaign to make prospective mothers aware of the problems?
Baroness Williams of Trafford
I thank my noble friend for raising that point: it is an incredibly worrying trend. While we believe that adults should take responsibility for their own actions, the number of cases of this disorder is rising; I understand that there is currently a case in court on it. We certainly are very keen to promote health awareness in this area.